---
title: Is a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions degree worth the debt?
cip: 5110
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **95** colleges (95 of 95 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $56,576 ($55,964 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $19,916 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.36× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $52,971–$60,914 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $25,188 | $8,683 | 0.33× | 84 | 84/84 |
| Associate's | $40,841 | $20,000 | 0.49× | 61 | 61/61 |
| Bachelor's | $56,576 | $19,916 | 0.36× | 95 | 95/95 |
| Master's | $61,248 | $58,980 | 1.08× | 10 | 10/10 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Loma Linda University (CA) | $99,977 | — |
| Stony Brook University (NY) | $78,983 | $17,500 |
| Farmingdale State College (NY) | $74,532 | $19,977 |
| CUNY York College (NY) | $73,775 | — |
| Boston University (MA) | $67,918 | — |
| Marist University (NY) | $67,648 | — |
| College of Staten Island CUNY (NY) | $67,632 | — |
| University at Buffalo (NY) | $66,995 | $16,250 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus (WA) | $66,369 | $13,000 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (MN) | $65,666 | $19,854 |
| Saint Cloud State University (MN) | $65,397 | $19,347 |
| Oregon Institute of Technology (OR) | $64,721 | $20,875 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MN) | $64,679 | — |
| Thomas Jefferson University (PA) | $64,503 | — |
| Rutgers University-Camden (NJ) | $64,307 | $15,334 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/clinical-medical-laboratory-science-research-and-allied-professions.jsonld` · `/education/fields/clinical-medical-laboratory-science-research-and-allied-professions.json`